Pages

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Welcome to the Jesse Hayworth's World!

Hi Jesse!Thank you for
taking the time to chat with us today! I
read SUMMER AT MUSTANG RIDGE and was
so hooked from the first page that I immediately had to read WINTER AT MUSTANG RIDGE.Now I’m waiting…not all that patiently… for HARVEST AT MUSTANG RIDGE.You have created a fantastic series with
wonderful characters and a super setting.

Ohmigosh, you just made my day! Thanks so much. (Does little happy dance and a
Sally Fields squee of “She likes me! She really likes me!”)

So are readers can find out a bit more about the woman behind the pen, let’s
start with a few simple questions.

SUMMER AT MUSTANG RIDGE is, I believe your debut novel.How did it feel when you got the call?What did you do to celebrate?

Confession time … Summer at
Mustang Ridge was Jesse Hayworth’s debut novel, but in my other life, I
write romantic suspense and paranormal romances as Jessica Andersen. Still, I
definitely had that getting-the-call moment with the Mustang Ridge books,
because moving into writing contemporary Westerns was a real change for me, on
many levels.

You see, over the course of about a year, I got out of a long-term (and
more toxic than I realized until I was out of it) relationship, re-learned how
to love myself, and (cue lightning bolt) met a guy named Arizona who also
thought I was pretty great. He’s my soulmate, my life partner, the kind of guy
I write about other people meeting ... We got married almost seven months to
the day after we met, and suddenly I didn’t want to write about apocalypses or
serial killers anymore. I wanted to write fun stories about family and falling
in love. Sure, there are tough themes to the Mustang Ridge books—as there are
in life—but they’re the kind of things that normal people deal with on a daily
basis rather than magical amulets and Mayan demons.

So when I turned in the idea for the Mustang Ridge books, I sweated,
hard. And when my editor called to say YES, I’ll admit it. I babbled just about
as hard as I did back in 2002 when a Harlequin editor called to buy my first
Intrigue. And then Arizona and I went out to dinner, toasted the Skye family
and their dude ranch romances, and … well … we celebrated the way relative
newlyweds do. (Wink.)

What inspired
you to pick up the pen (or sit down at the computer) one day and create
characters that capture the imagination?

I started writing as an antidote to writing my PhD thesis in genetics.
When my advisor read my actual thesis, she said, “That was marvelous. It was
like a mystery novel! Will Jessica discover the gene for pigmentary glaucoma?
Turn the page to find out!” When I admitted that I was writing a suspense novel
in my spare time, she told me to send her an autographed copy when I got it
published. I eventually did get it published, and I most definitely sent her a
signed copy.

Most
people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. What’s your take on
this?

Being an author can be glamorous--I’ve been interviewed on TV and been
hustled by security guards through back corridors of hotels and bookstores when
the crowds get too thick. But being a writer
is entirely unglamorous, stinking hard work that involves lots of caffeine and
banging my head against the nearest solid object when the words won’t behave. Which
isn’t to say “woe is me, I’ve got it so hard” ... But it’s most definitely a
job rather than a super fun thing that just happens to pay the bills.

What is
the most glamorous thing you’ve done as an author?

A few years back, my publisher sent me on a bus tour with a whole bunch
of other authors. We had a handler, a driver, hotels and meals all arranged for
us … It was exhausting doing three signings a day and never knowing what town
we were in from moment to moment. But what fun to spend time trapped in a moving
box with such incredible authors! I’m going to forget some names (apologies!),
but off the top of my head I remember Roxanne St. Clair, Kresley Cole, Gena
Showalter, Jade Lee, Allison Brennan, Cherry Adair, Angela Knight, Sherry
Thomas and Elizabeth Hoyt. I made some lovely friendships and will always be
grateful to my publisher for the experience.

You
brought tears to my eyes when I read your intro to WINTER AT MUSTANG RIDGE and how Pixel came into your life.Aren’t rescues the most amazing beings?

Thank you! To be honest, Pixel kitten saved me right back. I had been
through some health problems that year and needed something to fuss over and
cuddle … Which was why I was on my way to the pound when she came sailing out
onto the highway in front of me, like the Universe saying “Poof. Here’s your
kitten!” We healed up together, and she’s the best assistant author I could
have asked for. In fact, she’s got a paw on my keyboard right now.

Did you
already have an idea for telling Rex’s story before you adopted Pixel or did
she inspire that thread?

Believe it or not, the story of Jenny Skye rescuing a battered Goldie
from the side of the road was already on the page when I rescued Pixel from the
middle of the highway. Hello, universe speaking!

In SUMMER AT MUSTANG RIDGE you raise the
issue of selective mutism with great care and compassion.What prompted you to create a character with
that disability?

Thank you for the kind words! Lizzie’s character was very natural for
me, as I was a very shy kid—I was brainy and awkward, had skipped a grade, and
didn’t wear the right clothes or have the cool toys. The horses at the local
riding stable didn’t know that, though. They thought I was just fine … and
volunteering there—schlepping water buckets and picking out stalls in exchange
for the occasional free ride also made me some friends who liked me just the
way I was. So it was very easy for me to picture a child with social anxieties
coming out of her shell when she gets to Mustang Ridge.

In WINTER AT MUSTANG RIDGE through Rose
you open up the door to what many of us have or will deal with when our parents
retire.Looking way far ahead, what do
you see yourself doing at that time in your life?

Well, Arizona and I are trying to start a family, but I’m in that (blerk)
high-risk age range. So whether we manage it ourselves or decide to adopt,
we’ll still be doing the parent thing later than most people do--much to the
amusement of several of my good friends, who are getting their kids off to
college as I’m trying to get mine started. I also see us maybe fostering an
older child or two at some point. Arizona was a high-school math teacher and is
very outdoorsy, and I think between the two of us, we could do some good. We’ll
also be looking out for my mom, have a couple of cats, maybe a dog by then … and
beyond that, I hope we’re still biking, kayaking, and generally enjoying life!

Do you
have a Rose in your life?If so, what
does she think of the wonderful way you resolve her seeking?
LOL! If I did, I wouldn’t admit it in public. I know my dad stalks my blog …
who knows who might be reading this?

Honestly, though, I’m very lucky in both my small family and Arizona’s
much larger one. Rose’s foibles come more from people I’ve known through the
horse world. I love horse people, but by and large their emotions tend to be
right out there for the world to see, and they’re not shy about sharing their
opinions. But at the same time, Like Jenny’s mom, if you scratch the surface of
what looks crazy, you’ll often find some real reasons—and real hurts—beneath.

If you
could be a character in any of your books who would it be and why?

It’s always the heroine of the book I’m working on! I get to fall in love over
and over again with all these smart, interesting cowboys, veterinarians, metal
workers, gem prospectors … (YUM!)

Looking
over the past year, what has been the best moment for you in your writing
career?

A few months ago I went to a workshop on storyboarding. It was the
right theory at the right time, and I’ve loved the excuse to buy every shape of
post-it note known to mankind!

If you
could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for lunch, who would it be and
what would you eat?

I would have green eggs and ham with Dr. Seuss.

You’ve
gotten the call, a Hollywood producer is going to bring the Mustang Ridge series
to the big screen.Who do you cast in
the major roles?(Yes, I’m particularly
thinking of Foster here).

I don’t honestly have a cast for Summer
at Mustang Ridge. Sorry, babe! For Winter
at Mustang Ridge, though, Jenny would be Anne Hathaway, and Nick would be
Ryan Gosling. (Yum, num, num!)

No comments:

FTC Guidelines

In compliance with recently updated FTC Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials, etc., please be advised that Love Romances and More Reviews does not, by virtue of its reviews "endorse" or provide "testimonals" via its reviews. Our reviews are unbiased and objective synopses and critiques of books we have read. While the majority of the books we received are provided free of charge by various publishers, we also acquire a number of our books via the library or self-purchase.